Investigation of Orographic Updrafts Characteristics and Orographic Updrafts Horizontal Distribution Model

Investigation of Orographic Updrafts Characteristics and Orographic Updrafts Horizontal Distribution Model | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Investigation of Orographic Updrafts Characteristics and Orographic Updrafts Horizontal Distribution Model Yifan Fu, Weigang An, Xingtao Su, Bifeng Song This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6260767/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Bird-inspired autonomous soaring technology enables unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to utilize natural updrafts, akin to avian flight, significantly enhancing core performance metrics such as endurance and range. This technology has been successfully validated across multiple UAV platforms. In nature, thermal updrafts and orographic updrafts represent two prevalent types of ascending airflows, with the latter being more common in mountainous terrain. However, due to the lack of systematic research on the distribution patterns of orographic updrafts, a rational and precise model for such airflow remains underdeveloped. Consequently, real-time and efficient prediction of orographic updrafts remains unattainable, limiting current autonomous soaring technologies to thermal updraft environments and hindering their broader application across UAV industries. In this study, Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes numerical simulations were employed to investigate the vertical and horizontal distribution characteristics of orographic updrafts over isolated hills and continuous mountain terrains. Key findings include: The horizontal distribution pattern of updrafts over isolated hills approximates that of thermal updrafts, allowing existing thermal updraft models to be directly applied. Compared to conventional orographic updraft models, the proposed Orographic Updrafts Horizontal Distribution Model demonstrates significantly improved consistency in describing updraft distribution patterns. Furthermore, it provides a more rational representation of updraft behavior above mountain ridges, enabling real-time and efficient prediction of orographic updrafts for UAV applications. For both isolated hills and continuous mountain terrains, the maximum updraft intensity consistently occurs at two-thirds of the mountain height along the windward slope. Physical sciences/Engineering Physical sciences/Engineering/Aerospace engineering Physical sciences/Energy science and technology/Renewable energy orographic updrafts Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) wind field calculation Orographic Updrafts Horizontal Distribution Model (OUHDM) Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6260767","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":447242890,"identity":"2a571966-5ea5-45fd-8a13-5b92d4930870","order_by":0,"name":"Yifan Fu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northwestern Polytechnical University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yifan","middleName":"","lastName":"Fu","suffix":""},{"id":447242891,"identity":"4d71bc77-eb33-421d-8e86-e66f81b97053","order_by":1,"name":"Weigang An","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA8ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLCCBBDB3gDlHSBaCw9MKVFawEAigUgt/LN7DB88+GWXJx/59ph0YRuDHN+NBMbPBfjMvnPG2CCxL7nY8HZemvTMNgZjyRsJzNIz8FlzI3ebRGIPc+LG2Tlmt3nbGBI33EhgY+bBo0P+Ru72H4k99YkbZ54Ba6knqMUAaAtDwo/DifMleMBaEgwIaTG8kf9ZIrHheOIGnhzz3zPOSRjOPPOwWRqfFrkbaYkff/ypTpzffsbYuKDMRp7vePLBz/i0gAFjG9CFBxgYmIEhCOI2ENIABH+A4dAA1jIKRsEoGAWjABMAANdcUT7Y3HgGAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Northwestern Polytechnical University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Weigang","middleName":"","lastName":"An","suffix":""},{"id":447242892,"identity":"dd800cd5-135d-4207-bb8f-088eebafe64b","order_by":2,"name":"Xingtao Su","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Xi’an Research Institute of Surveying and Mapping","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xingtao","middleName":"","lastName":"Su","suffix":""},{"id":447242893,"identity":"ca8fb125-c798-4f29-960c-83cf9bb92ab8","order_by":3,"name":"Bifeng Song","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northwestern Polytechnical University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bifeng","middleName":"","lastName":"Song","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-03-19 10:53:08","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6260767/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6260767/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":98385044,"identity":"26851e2f-7afc-4612-8e8f-0896c75d3a39","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-17 08:25:27","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":933191,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"InvestigationofOrographicUpdraftsCharacteristicsandOrographicUpdraftsHorizontalDistributionModel.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6260767/v1_covered_799778c1-56f5-48ab-8477-578b383c9ff3.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Investigation of Orographic Updrafts Characteristics and Orographic Updrafts Horizontal Distribution Model","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"orographic updrafts, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), wind field calculation, Orographic Updrafts Horizontal Distribution Model (OUHDM)","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6260767/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6260767/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eBird-inspired autonomous soaring technology enables unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to utilize natural updrafts, akin to avian flight, significantly enhancing core performance metrics such as endurance and range. This technology has been successfully validated across multiple UAV platforms. In nature, thermal updrafts and orographic updrafts represent two prevalent types of ascending airflows, with the latter being more common in mountainous terrain. However, due to the lack of systematic research on the distribution patterns of orographic updrafts, a rational and precise model for such airflow remains underdeveloped. Consequently, real-time and efficient prediction of orographic updrafts remains unattainable, limiting current autonomous soaring technologies to thermal updraft environments and hindering their broader application across UAV industries. In this study, Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes numerical simulations were employed to investigate the vertical and horizontal distribution characteristics of orographic updrafts over isolated hills and continuous mountain terrains. Key findings include: The horizontal distribution pattern of updrafts over isolated hills approximates that of thermal updrafts, allowing existing thermal updraft models to be directly applied. Compared to conventional orographic updraft models, the proposed Orographic Updrafts Horizontal Distribution Model demonstrates significantly improved consistency in describing updraft distribution patterns. Furthermore, it provides a more rational representation of updraft behavior above mountain ridges, enabling real-time and efficient prediction of orographic updrafts for UAV applications. For both isolated hills and continuous mountain terrains, the maximum updraft intensity consistently occurs at two-thirds of the mountain height along the windward slope.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Investigation of Orographic Updrafts Characteristics and Orographic Updrafts Horizontal Distribution Model","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-07 07:30:21","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6260767/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"227b0279-fa86-4d48-be9a-36c8c622c023","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 7th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":47603959,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering"},{"id":47603960,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering/Aerospace engineering"},{"id":47603961,"name":"Physical sciences/Energy science and technology/Renewable energy"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-17T08:24:38+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-07 07:30:21","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6260767","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6260767","identity":"rs-6260767","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}